In one of those odd ironies of life, at the very time Toyota has been promoting the Hilux as New Zealand's top-selling four-wheel-drive utility, a two-wheel-drive variant of the same machine was dispatched to Drivesouth for appraisal.

Subaru's latest version of the Outback is being touted as being produced especially for the marque's greatest drivers - New Zealanders. Catherine Pattison found out on the predominantly off-road Central Otago launch drive that it is a suitable fit for southerners.

The new Mazda 3 - confirmed on Thursday night as New Zealand's 2014 car of the year - has already impressed Drivesouth this year, when tested in both 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre automatic four-door guise. Now the manual SP25 five-door hatchback has also passed through our hands.